Baines admits inside job in locker break-in
George Town Police Station evidence lock-up
(CNS): The police are currently conducting internal as well as external investigations into a burglary at the police evidence locker, in which more than 57 kilos of drugs were stolen. Police Commissioner David Baines has admitted that the break-in had to involve corrupt police officers, given the circumstances of the crime, and a probe is now underway. Despite the revelations made on Rooster’s breakfast talk show last Friday by Baines, the RCIPS remained tight-lipped this week about the officers involved in the probe.
A police spokesperson said that the RCIPS was not in a position to say much regarding the enquiry as it was very sensitive. Baines stated that warrants had been issued and arrests made in connection with the suspected criminals. Deputy Governor Franz Manderson also told members of the Legislative Assembly in October while answering a parliamentary question from the opposition leader that arrests were made.
But on Tuesday the official line from the police press office was that no one had yet been arrested.
“As the commissioner indicated last week, providing further details regarding the investigation could jeopardize the inquiry,” the spokesperson said. “No arrests have yet been made but we will update (the public) as soon as there are developments we can share.”
The revelations that the RCIPS believe some of its own officers were very likely involved were made by Baines during a heated exchange on Cayman Crosstalk with the hosts Kenneth Bryan and Woody DaCosta, as they asked him why the police had misled the public about the issue in what appeared to be a deliberate cover-up.
Baines denied lying and said that at the time of the break-in the word from the scene of the crime was that the locker where police keep evidence and seized drugs had not been breached and nothing was taken. A few weeks later, however, it was realized that some 125lbs of ganja and cocaine were in fact missing, he said.
Baines said that he did not feel it was important to inform the public as he had informed the governor and National Security Council. He said an operational decision was made not to issue a media release about the missing drugs but to try and catch the culprits.
“If I have corrupt officers, I don’t need to just broadcast that. I need to get evidence and throw them out of the service,” he said.
The break-in at the police locker, which is situated in the rear yard of the George Town Police Station, took place in July and it is apparent that the brazen burglary could not have happened without the assistance in some way of the police. Baines described it as “a well-planned and well-coordinated break-in” on police property, which must have had inside assistance.
Related articles:
Over 50 kilos of drugs stolen in cop-locker burglary
And they got a pay raise for it too.
Where is the SECURITY CAMERA, slackers?
“Baines admits inside job in locker break-in”, DA! Now there’s an idea to look into. Thank fully we have some investigative Police…………..NOT!
Baines continually passes the buck in relation to any wrongs of the RCIPS, and he is continually allowed to do this! This pattern is also observed in the Ministry of Home Affairs. In any organization in any other part of the world, the head ultimately takes the fall for the shortcomings of his/her organization – especially after so many events! Baines and Eric Bush are protected by their Lodge connections!
Howmuch for an ounce
The USA street value of the narcotics stolen back on July 13th was just under $3mln (per UNODC estimates), not the “few hundred thousands” portrayal of other local news sources. Make no mistake, this was a major seizure and then a major heist facilitated by corrupt insiders in an elevated position of trust. Not a good situation for the Cayman Islands or the RCIPS.
This is a grim situation but no surprise to anyone who has followed this theft. The danger these internal corruption cases have is the hit on morale. Those officers not involved can do nothing to prove their innocence and the rotten apples are keeping their mouth’s shut.
Everyone has had suspicions about dirty officers and they exist on every force and are mistrusted by all.
Boys wearing the Red Stripe? I just can’t beer it!!
Throw both Baines and the Jamaican officers out. Both are useless!!!!
Dont worry folks…
They have ‘inside information’ that it was an ‘inside job’…
Remember what Baines said “They are here to reflect the Diversity of the Community” !!!! What he did not tell us is they also brought their vices & corrupt practices with them and combined with transplant and favorable communities there is a great synergy to make “tings”happen. The truth is nuff tings agwann innah dis ya town!!!! Another truth that’s exactly the way the UK planned it!!
Biggest gang in the Cayman Islands? The boys wearing the red stripe!
Wear? I drink mine ma love.
Questions that are obvouisly not being addressed
1) Has the several months long investigation give yield to anything that could be used if criminal charges are brought useful, in actually securing a conviction?
2) Who supplied the Alarm system and who was monitioring the system?
3) Why did the above mentioned fail to perform as needed?
4) Who supplied the Guard, at whose authority, and once again, why did the Guard fail to prevent this crime or detect it earlier?
5) Was/is there CCTV supplied to the area of question, and if there was/is, is it independent of the Public CCTV systems, and did surrounding CCTV systems capture anything usefull to add to the pursuit of the perpetrators?
6) Who is in Command of the Security in the oversight management position, and who has control hands on, the day to day?
There are many moving parts involved with this. The RCIP and at some level the Security Centre have questions to answer, along with , if there are any other private entitys, along with the Deapartment of Internal and External Affairs. While the crime is enormous, born from it are questions and situations that need to be addressed and if needed, people need to be held accountable and responsibility needs to be owned. Solid, factual, provable debate, interviews and proceedings that are transparent are required to restore confidence in what appears to be a corrupted system of doing business, delievring justice and the general integrity of all involved. If this cannot be achieved, then it is time for proceedings to be held that result in proper results in the forms of dismissals and if warrented legal proceedings.
9.51 is Hercule Poirot! We are saved by the small fat Belgian!
Geeze, thanks Velma. Queue the Scooby Doo laugh track.
This “lock up” looks like a shipping container, sitting next to a building. Therefore an easy target.
Why is the evidence not stored in a purpose built building, behind layers of security?
Better still… Why weren’t the drugs destroyed immediately? There was no reason to keep them in storage!!
Exactly, this room should be a purpose built fortified room inside the main police building with a vault similar to a bank vault with combination locks requiring two persons with individual access codes to open and close, camera and technology that records fingerprints . Of course this will cost big bucks but in the end it will be worth it.
This is what the Premier should be trying to get to the bottom of instead of running to make amendments to the immigration laws to suit a select two. God have mercy on us if this amount of drugs is being sold on island . We will all be stoned simply by osmosis. This is what the Premier XXXXXX should be ashamed of? why is Baines still in the job. If this has been a store clerk stealing a chocolate bar someone would have been “detained while investigations were being carried out.” Who the hell is investigating this??. People we all have children and grandchildren who could be gravely affected by this. At least he should be suspended in the meantime .
God have mercy on us if this amount of drugs is being sold on island . We will all be stoned simply by osmosis…. Na really, island kinda dry still.
It’s been 6 months. Where are those drugs now? If they are distributed locally, the price should be coming down and turf wars errupting. Plus, that’s a lot of coke for local consumption. ‘Seems like more than opportunistic local thugs. I wonder if it all left the island as soon as it was jacked?
In the UK this would have been all over the press day one, heads would have rolled. Keeping stuff like this secret just makes it worse, will always make it seem like a cover up.
Finally the truth that has been blatantly obvious all along has been admitted. Step one in the right direction although waaaaay too late in the day. It is time high ranking officials fessed up and held themselves accountable for issues under their watch immediately all the time rather than try and cover up blunders such as this – in government, police, health and social services and in every respect.
i guarantee no uk/canadian cop was involved……
jamrock
jamaica jamaica
If drugs where legal, as they should be, we would not have this problem.
Long and short Baines should have been fired. The governor is just like him absoutly no use.
But he is not the one who is corrupt. So get rid of him but leave the corrupt ones in place?
Interesting logic.
So the old bill know one of their own is the guilty party but still havnt arrested anyone …..what they can’t find them?
Forget Columbo, the RCIPS ought to TiVo some old Scooby Doo reruns to learn how to solve some of these crazy classic whodunnits. An inside job, ya don’t say! How many months to figure that one out? How many officers and politicians knew of this seizure? It can’t be that hard.
Boy am I glad that I honorably decided to leave the RCIPS about ten years ago. An allegation of this nature back then, against serving police officers by a Commissioner Of Police………. could only be classed as a fairy tale with Alice in Wonderland being the main character !!
Really? Cocaine in large amounts were stolen from the police in 2004 / 2005 if I remember correctly. It was thought then too that it was an inside job.
Strangely enough, “about ten years ago”. Perhaps 9.05 is the White Rabbit.
The National Security Council, under the Chair of the Governor, has not held a meeting for over 10 months. Maybe he advised them by email?
inside job by west indian officers…..
Not necessarily so remember we are not smart and cannot do the job. This sounds like upper management to me!!
Wait now, the police “may” have had something to do with this??? What about the guards that were guarding the so called container? No one still hasn’t answered why was a security company guarding a container with drugs stored in it? Furthermore I never seen guarding the RCIPS being tendered out to private security companies, as a matter of fact, no tendering for Immigration and the army of non speaking guards at the Government Administration Building.
Yes…why are we allowing these companies to pay the guards so little to protect so much. Inside jobs are a given when a guard could make his yearly earnings in a matter of minutes.
“Throw them out of the service”. Baines is delusional if they (RCIPS cops) committed a crime they should be behind bars. I find it hard to believe that police officers did it without some assistance from the Security Guards that was guarding the place. Baines and the Governors and all concerned must think that everyone in the CAYMAN ISLANDS are a bunch of damn fools. Where is Ezzard with his big mouth about this one???? Where the hell is transparency?
In which alternate universe does 57 kilos equal 200 lbs. Must be because the ganja is lighter than the cocaine…..
First, it says “over 57 kilos”, not 57, and more fundamentally the article says 125 pounds (56.8 kilos) NOT 200. So I guess its the alternate universe where you read the article?
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh well, whats new need more money to catch the culprits, money more money money money. A thorough shake Uppppppppppp is what’s needed, 300 well trained officers with integrity and willing to get the job done is better than most we have now just working for a salary, they call it big money with little accountability!!!.
57 KG -WOW !! Eyes pop out
That’s just enough for one major law firm to get through the weekend.
Was this before or after he offered his resignation?